1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network system and a multimedia server.
2. Related Background Art
As various terminals acquire a communication functions along with the progress of networking, interconnectability becomes very important. For example, in the case of a facsimile apparatus, as a method of accessing a public network, a facsimile communication protocol defined by the CCITT exists. However, when a facsimile apparatus is utilized as a FAX server to constitute a network, no standard protocol is available yet.
As for a relational database (RDB), the SQL language of the ANSI is used as the standard language for the present. However, software vendors adopt different access protocols to the RDB and different front-end interfaces (so-called APIs). As for printing, although standards exist in units of OSs, the architectures of network printers in a multivendor environment are not standardized. Since an OCR conventionally has no concept associated with networking, an access method of the OCR on a network is a problem to be considered in the future. In addition, no concept associated with an image processing accelerator on a network exists at present.
As described above, although efforts for the standardization in units of individual application fields have been made, no cross-field standardization is available. For example, in order to execute a series of operations for, e.g., converting an image received by a FAX server into codes using an OCR server, and storing the codes in a database, since the servers do not have compatibility, the client side must activate three client programs, i.e., a facsimile program, an OCR program, and a database, and must execute operations one after another.
Nevertheless, the three programs may automate the above-mentioned operations by inter-application communications by fully utilizing functions provided by the latest OS. However, although the latest OS provides an inter-application communication mechanism, it leaves the method of utilizing the mechanism to a user, and is not a practical solution to the problem.
Conventionally, methods of accessing various servers have been individually developed. However, a demand has arisen for a single, easy common access method capable of accessing various servers. In other words, a seamless, efficient server environment is demanded.
For example, as described above, assuming a series of operations for, e.g., converting an image received by a FAX server into codes using an OCR server, and storing the codes in a database, as described above, since the servers do not have compatibility, the client side must activate three client programs, i.e., a facsimile program, an OCR program, and a database, and must execute operations one after another. However, most of the operations are repetitions of "cut & paste" and an access to a "temporary file", resulting in troublesome operations.
In addition, the methods of accessing servers are inevitably different one from another considering the situation in which they were invented, and it is almost impossible to make accesses across different service fields.